ESPN NBA producer defends ‘balance’ between showing celebrities, players in Knicks’ comeback win
Game Four of the NBA Finals had it all: great performances from huge stars, an historic comeback, and a seemingly endless mob of celebrities at Madison Square Garden.
When OG Anunoby tipped in what would be the game-winning shot to finish off a 29-point turnaround and put the Knicks on the verge of their first title in more than 50 years, ESPN almost had too many great options for how to document the moment on air. In the end, after showing a replay of Anunoby’s tip, the network leaned more toward the famous people sitting courtside than toward the stars who had just finished the highly taxing game, a decision that has already drawn criticism.
In a new piece at Sportico, ESPN’s top NBA producer, Tim Corrigan, broke down the split-second decisions they made that created a live sports television moment that will certainly go down in history.
“It’s the balance of what’s the arena feel like, what does every fan feel like who’s experiencing this and, Oh, by the way, you have the biggest stars in the world, like Taylor Swift,” Corrigan told Sportico. “To see the enthusiasm, the excitement of what she’s doing in that moment, and the other A-list stars … they’re like everybody else in the building. They’re not too cool for the moment. They are all about living in the moment, and so that’s when it’s the right time to bring them in.”
ESPN has also been criticized for not devoting enough attention to a late turnover by De’Aaron Fox, which turned the game completely on its head.
And all sports broadcasts cut to fan reactions after game-turning plays. The difference at Madison Square Garden is that the fans are often celebrities, which can be distracting for the at-home viewer.
Corrigan explained that ESPN’s goal is always to show both the game environment and the big play at once, often starting zoomed-out before focusing in on the central action.
“Here’s the play and here’s the emotion of the Garden,” Corrigan said. “You try to get it all in one shot.”
The network nailed what mattered, showing the tension and thrill of what will likely be the series’ defining shot. In its aftermath, it was indeed dazzling to see all the celebs’ reactions and take in the who’s who in attendance. The trade-off of that approach, however, is that we will never see how Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, or any of the San Antonio Spurs absorbed the play and what it meant.
